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Few societies manage to eradicate crime altogether. In the underworld, someone always rises to the top, either through vision, organization, or sheer intimidation. The life of a crime lord isn’t for the timid. After conquering an unseen empire, the crime lord wages a daily struggle not only to stay on top but also to stay alive.
Of course not every crime lord is bent on corrupting society and making a profit. Some use their criminal connections to wage lucrative guerilla war against tyrants and despots. Indeed, some of the heroes of historical rebellions and conflicts began as smugglers or pirates, and eventually rose through the ranks of an organization to provide a more noble direction for their groups’ activities.
Problematically, crime lords are notoriously bad at cooperating with one another. The head of any given criminal empire has as much to fear from a gang war as he does from internal dissent and ambitious underlings. Even those with altruistic intentions sometimes learn the hard way that their troops are more interested gaining power and wealth than saving the world from greater evils.
REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to become a crime lord, a character must fulfill the following criteria.- Minimum Level: 7th
- Trained Skills: Deception, Persuasion
- Talents: At least one talent from the Fortune (Scoundrel), Lineage (Expert), or Misfortune (Scoundrel) talent trees
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Crime lords have the following game statistics.HIT POINTS
At each level, crime lords gain 1d8 hit points + their Constitution modifier.HERO POINTS
Crime lords gain a number of Hero Points equal to 6 + one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they gain a new level in this class.
| LEVEL | BASE ATTACK BONUS | CLASS FEATURES |
| 1st | +0 | Defense bonuses, talent |
| 2nd | +1 | Command cover, talent |
| 3rd | +2 | Talent |
| 4th | +3 | Talent |
| 5th | +3 | Talent |
| 6th | +4 | Talent |
| 7th | +5 | Talent |
| 8th | +6 | Talent |
| 9th | +6 | Talent |
| 10th | +7 | Talent |
CLASS FEATURES
The following are features of the crime lord prestige class.DEFENSE BONUSES
At 1st level, you gain a +2 class bonus to your Reflex Defense and a +4 class bonus to your Will Defense.TALENTS
At every level, you select a talent. The talent can be selected from the Influence talent tree from the Expert base class, or from the Infamy or Mastermind talent trees, below. You must meet the prerequisites (if any) of the chosen talent. No talent can be selected more than once unless expressly indicated.INFAMY TALENT TREE
You are wanted in multiple systems for criminal acts, and your manner of doing business has earned you an unsavory reputation in the criminal underworld.Fear Me: Such is the fear you install in your minions that when in your presence, they would rather die than disappoint you. Once per encounter, as a reaction to one of your minions being moved down the condition track, you can reduce the number of steps the minion moves down the condition track by 1. Additionally, the target regains hit points equal to your heroic level. If the target is reduced to 0 hit points or moved to the bottom of the condition track, you cannot use this talent on that target.
Prerequisites: Attract Minion, Inspire Fear I, Inspire Fear II.
Frighten: Once per encounter, you can designate a minion as a free action to spread fear among your enemies. At any point before the end of the encounter, you can activate this ability to force all enemies adjacent to your minion to move 1 square away from the minion. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Prerequisites: Attract Minion, Inspire Fear I.
Inspire Fear I: Your infamy and reputation are such that any opponent whose level is equal to or less than your character level takes a -1 penalty on attack rolls and opposed skill checks made against you, as well as Magery, Psionics, or Nanite Control checks made to activate spells, powers, incantations, nanospells, or nanite abilities that target you. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Inspire Fear II: As Inspire Fear I (see above), except that the penalty increases to -2.
Prerequisite: Inspire Fear I.
Inspire Fear III: As Inspire Fear I (see above), except that the penalty increases to -3.
Prerequisites: Inspire Fear I, Inspire Fear II.
Master Manipulator: When you make a successful Persuasion check, you can immediately make a second Persuasion check against the same target, even if it is not allowed. The second Persuasion check need not be for the same use of the Persuasion skill as the first. For example, if you successfully change the attitude of the target, you can immediately attempt to change it a second time, or you can attempt to intimidate the target instead.
Prerequisites: Notorious, Skill Focus (Persuasion), trained in the Persuasion skill.
Notorious: Your reputation as a crime lord is known far and wide, even in fringe areas. When you are not disguised, you may reroll any Persuasion cheeks made to intimidate others, keeping the better result.
Shared Notoriety: When your minions invoke your name, others take note. If you have minions (see the Attract Minion talent, below), they may reroll any Persuasion checks made to intimidate, but the result of the result of the reroll must be accepted even if It is worse.
Prerequisite: Notorious.
Small Favor: You can call in a small favor from someone who owes you. Once per day, make a DC 25 Persuasion check. If the check is successful, an informant gives you information, granting you a +10 competence bonus to one Gather Information or Knowledge check made within the next 24 hours.
Prerequisites: Notorious, trained in the Persuasion skill.
Terrify: As a standard action, you can make a Persuasion check against a target that is within your line of sight and that is also affected by your Inspire Fear talent. If you equal or exceed the target’s Will Defense, then on its next turn the target must spend at least one move action to move away from you. If the target is somehow prevented from doing so, then the penalty from Inspire Fear doubles until the start of your next turn. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Prerequisites: Frighten, Inspire Fear I, Inspire Fear II.
Unsavory Reputation: Any opponent that is reduced to half hit points or fewer while within 6 squares of you takes a -2 penalty on all attack rolls and skill checks for the duration of the encounter. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Prerequisites: Inspire Fear I, Inspire Fear II, Inspire Fear III, Notorious.
MASTERMIND TALENT TREE
You have the ability to attract loyal minions and are skilled at redirecting allies on the battlefield.
Attract Minion: You attract a loyal minion. The minion is a nonheroic character with a class level equal to three-quarters of your character level, rounded down. You may select this talent multiple times; each time you select this talent, you gain another minion. Normally, you can have only minion with you at a time. Any other minions you have are assumed to be looking after your various interests. If you lose a minion, you can send for another minion if you have one (although normal travel time still applies). Each minion that accompanies you on an adventure is entitled to an equal share of the total experience points earned for the adventure. For example, a minion that accompanies a party of five heroes on an adventure receives one-sixth of the XP that the group earns. Minions count as followers for the purposes of talents that affect followers, except for talents which bonus feats to followers.
Attract Superior Minion: You attract a particularly skilled and powerful minion. The minion is a nonheroic character with a class level equal to your character level. This talent otherwise functions as the Attract Minion talent.
Prerequisites: Attract Minion, Impel Ally I, Impel Ally II.
Bodyguard I: Whenever you are adjacent to a minion gained with the Attract Minion talent, once per turn as a reaction to being attacked you can redirect the attack against that minion. Compare the attack roll to the minion’s defenses and resolve the attack as normal.
Prerequisite: Attract Minion.
Bodyguard II: When you redirect an attack to a minion using the Bodyguard I talent, that minion’s relevant defense score gains a bonus equal to half your class level.
Prerequisites: Attract Minion, Bodyguard I.
Bodyguard III: When you redirect an attack to a minion using the Bodyguard I talent, that minion can make an immediate melee or ranged attack against your attacker, if the attacker is within range. Additionally, the bonus provided by the Bodyguard II talent increases to your full class level.
Prerequisites: Attract Minion, Bodyguard I, Bodyguard II.
Contingency Plan: Once per encounter, if you fail an attack roll, a skill check, or the use of a talent that requires an opposed check, you can move your speed as a reaction.
Impel Ally I: You can spend a swift action to grant one ally the ability to move its normal speed. The ally must move immediately on your turn, before you do anything else, or else the opportunity is wasted. You can use this talent up to three times on your turn (spending a swift action each time).
Impel Ally II: You can spend two swift actions to grant one ally the ability to take a standard action or move action. The ally must act immediately on your turn, before you do anything else, or else the opportunity is wasted.
Prerequisite: Impel Ally I.
Impel Ally III: Once per encounter, you can spend three swift actions on consecutive turns to grant one ally the ability to take a standard action and a move action. The ally must act immediately on your turn when the final swift action is spent, before you do anything else, or the opportunity is wasted.
Prerequisites: Impel Ally I, Impel Ally II.
Inspire Wrath: As a standard action, you can designate a target to be the object of your allies’ wrath. While your allies have line of sight to you or until you are unconscious or dead, your allies gain a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls against the target and a +2 morale bonus on skill checks against that target. You can designate a new target on any round by using another standard action. You can only use this talent against one opponent at a time.
Prerequisites: Impel Ally I, Impel Ally II.
Master’s Orders: When an ally uses an action granted to him or her by you, the ally can reroll any attack or check made during that action, taking the better result.
Prerequisites: Impel Ally I, Impel Ally II.
Shelter: Whenever you are adjacent to a minion, you increase any cover bonus to your Reflex Defense by +2.
Prerequisite: Attract Minion.
Tactical Superiority: Spend two swift actions to select two allies. Each ally can move 2 squares as a reaction. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Tactical Withdraw: Spend two swift actions to grant all allies that are in your line of sight and within 6 squares of you the ability to use the withdraw action as a swift action until the start of your next turn.
Urgency: Once per encounter, you can spend three swift actions on consecutive turns to increase the speed of all allies within line of sight of you by 2. The increased speed lasts until the start of your next turn after the third swift action is spent.
Prerequisites: Impel Ally I, Impel Ally II.
Wealth of Allies: Whenever one of your minions is killed, he or she is replaced by another minion of the same level. This replacement occurs 24 hours later, though travel time may come into play.
Prerequisite: Attract Minion.